The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-02-01
HENRY WATTERSON SPEAKS
OUT.
| SGrrOwIng Amszement at the COndi-
| ton OF the Democratic Party.

WASHINGTON, Jan. Ell Look upon
the Democratic situation " hich prevails
in the national capital at this time, with
a kind of borrowing amaZemenI. On
every hand | encounter among the Sen.
ators. among the Representatives, among
the people, but one sentiment, and that
is discomfort and forebCding. The Re
publIcans are jubilant. The Democrats
are discouraged. The President sits
with his back upon the scene, and but
Yesterday said to friend, who thinks
just as | do: II believe | have done
pretty well, considering"
lie is the one man in Washington who
Is blind to the truth and deaf To coun-
sells. Even the Secretary of State who
has lived most of his life in peach
blow vase three thousand miles ley ond
the moon, is not, | am told. holly lost
To the real state of the case But there
seems no help for it. \ man as incapa
Bile of receiving impressions as of
turning warmth, and sensible of crti
cism only To the point of resenting il,
the President sits in the White House
like a wooden image, made To be wor-
shipped not to be loved. To the weaker
members of his Cabinet he has impaired
his dull elf-sufliciency and cold stolid
ity. The most servie, as we'll as the sin
cerest form of tiattery Is imitation; and
the beggars on horseback Whom Mr..
Cleveland, seeking to discover "A new po-
litical planet and to- people it with crea
lures OF his own, brought into being and
| mounted, have caught the trick of their
chief, and are equally industrious and
successful IN neglecting great for little
things, and in seeing nothing clearly eX-
Cept the regulations of the civil service.
They, too, take more Joy in one rtepub-
lican who has repented nd turned Mug
wump than III ninety and nine Demo
Gratis who have never gone astray.
The other evening after d inner where
the President met a select party of Dem
Ocrats, 1t was proposed to hold mock
cabinet meeting. Oddly, this Man of
Destiny, who has as little humOr as acu
men, and no thought of the trap which
was set to catch HIM, agreed to this.
Therefore, each member of the company
turned loose upon him, and. in a seriO-
comic way gave him the sort of talk the
CO"Fier ,jOHTHdI has been giving him for
the last two months He listened with
compIaCency. Finally, when the last
SPEAKER, one of his own political family,
had put IN n metaphOrical knock down
right between the executive eyes, he
closed them, and leaning back i'll his
chair and play ing tattoo upon his
ample shirt front with his thumbs.
he said. with a touch of offended dig
NIFTY: 'Really. gentlemen, L CaDnSt see
how | am to blame for all this, or how
can mend it," lie then went on to say
that he would be glad to consult with
the Democrats of the Hour e and Senate,
but that. when they came To the White
| House to introduce stranger or "a Ell
dorse an applicant, they Immediately
went away again. They. he proceeded
To explain. had their work to do, as he
| had his, and SO there was no time for
consultation. There IL not the least
doubt that he was perfectly honest in
| this, as he is, 1 believe, in all things else.
| Is 1t not most melancholy, and almost
astounding, that one who is bv no means
destitute of common sense and native
| craft should he so dense:
a near and old friend of his said to NE
! not long ago: "Of all the arid natures |
ever encountered, his is the most ard.
| lie sympathiZes with nobody; makes
COMMON cause with nobody; anu, in the
most serious affairs, trusts wholly and
solely to fortune or caprice. The author
of this description nursed no disappOint-
fnent, was far beyond the reach of Pr-si-
dental tear or favor, and simply spoke
in the spirit of an historian and phiioso-
pher.
THIS view of the President being true,
he il the rather to lie pitied than cen
sured. In such structures a. | have
made upon his course, | have been in
sptTed by two purposes first, to con
vey to him the real opinion and feeling
of the party that elected him; the second
Ia have these Observation-Disclosures, if such
they are, out and done with before the
advent of the period when we shall all
he n qItred tn go To work To re- elect him.
! preferred To- do this publicly, because in
the very friendly PERSONAL intercourse |
had had with him, had encountered the
good natured competency which il his
Distinguishing characteristics, and which
all who approach him find watchfuliy
ON guard To invite the articles of the
self seeking and to repel the disinter-
tSted.
have never been afraid of open deal
ing and PLAIN speaking. In party. As in
private cOunsels, they clear the atmos
phere and defeat oOnspIracies. | have
said nothing, written nothing, done
nothing. therefore, which will occasion
mo the slightest embarrassment in sup
porting him for a second term. because
four years more of the present disap
pointing order of things would still lie
preferable To a Republican restoration,
AMI a | never intend TO stop telling the
truth until die, | shall live in the blessed
hope that even the obstinate indifferent
tialism of this Administration Will ulti-
mately II ceive its impressions and see it
self aS others see II. ASSuredly, If |
know my own heart. IL has within IL not
one shadow of i'll will against the Presi~
deut or any member of his Cabinet, for
two of whom at least | entertain senti
ments of stfectionate regard. But |
truly believe they are wrecking us; that
the President is solely responsible for
this, though certain members of his Gov
ernment are busy helping him. and.
while | could hold my peace and leave
the BOYS in the trenches with no one tn
speak for them, the Administration has
gwen small if any reason for the sacrifice
of that which Is the business of my life,
for the journalist Is nothing if not We
hicle of communication and Intelligence.
extenuating much, but setting down
naught in malice.
The boys in the trenches will re-
member. If the quartermasters and